


when your mind unwinds

by Ford_Ye_Fiji



Series: Whumptober 2020 [15]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mild Angst, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Number Five | The Boy Gets A Hug, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy has PTSD, References to Drugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27150331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ford_Ye_Fiji/pseuds/Ford_Ye_Fiji
Summary: Day 22: DruggedDiego is, once again, cleaning up his brother's mess
Series: Whumptober 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947877
Comments: 33
Kudos: 316
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	when your mind unwinds

Five waved his hands, marveling as they blurred and merged, tracing strange lines across his vision- smearing it like wet paint, “Diego- Diego, my hands- there’s like… twelve of them.” 

Diego laughed nervously, “Yeah, that’s great, Five. Remember what I said about keeping it down?” 

Five’s head lolled as he squinted, shouting, “ _What?_ ” 

Diego sighed at the sudden noise, patting Five’s arm wearily, having long ago given up, “Yeah, never mind. You just do you man.” 

Five blinked, pupils dilated, “Look, Delores, Diego is here.” 

Diego raised an eyebrow, “Hm. Hi Delores.” 

Delores stared placidly at him from the opposite end of the couch. Five giggled, and that… that was _scary_ , actually. Five didn’t giggle. Hell, he didn’t think he’d seen Five smile once since he’d reappeared. Five poked at Diego’s leather straps, tracing the stitching with awe, eyes wide with wonder, “Oh this is- this is nice. Feels real.” 

Diego frowned, “Yeah, I’m really glad you liked Klaus’s brownies.” He huffed, annoyed that he’d been stuck babysitting their drugged up brother while Klaus was out who knows where, blissfully unaware of what his edibles had done to their brother, “But did you have to eat more than one?” 

Five blinked, unsteady against him, “I needed fuel for- for jumping. Who knows next when you’ll get any of that out here. Besides they were just- they were just sitting there, Diego!” 

Diego pursed his lips, “It’s not hard to find food, Five.”

Five shoved his shoulder, almost pouting, “Figments of imaginations don’t need to eat, but _I_ do.” 

Diego couldn’t help but feel offended, “I’m _not_ a figment of your imagination. I’m real and I _will_ tell Allison you stole Klaus’s weed and-or LSD brownies and she _will_ beat your ass.” 

Five snarled, jabbing at him and missing, “I’m- I’m a grown man and I don’t let hallucinations talk back.” 

Diego rolled his eyes, “Yeah, and you’re also high as fuck.” 

Five snorted, slumping against his shoulder, and when had Five _ever_ been this touchy, “Mm. And you’re- you’re ugly as fuck.” 

Diego sighed dejectedly, letting his head fall against the back of the couch with a certain air of resignation, “My insults are being outclassed by a thirteen year old who’s tripping balls.”

“M’fifty-eight.” 

“Amazing, Five.” 

“You smell like- like _shit_.” 

“Thanks, Five.”

“I-“ and wait, fuck, Five’s breath hitched against his shoulder, suddenly heavy with grief as his voice cracked, “I missed it.” 

Diego froze, “Wait, Five, what’s happening here-“ 

Yes, that was definitely a little sob there, against his shoulder, small and fragile, “Worked fifty-eight years to get back to this shitty-ass smell again. And none of you even believe me.” 

Diego looked down, Five’s face buried in his dampening shoulder, distinctly muffled, “...I am _high_.”

Diego hesitantly reached over and patted his head, Five burrowing deeper into his embrace, because this was definitely an awkward side hug now, “Yeah, little bro. You kinda are.” 

“The- the world’s ending and I’ve gotta stop it. Gotta stop it, Diego.” Diego hesitantly wrapped an arm around his brother and was rewarded with a little sigh as he settled there, “If I don’t… you’re going to die. Again. And I don’t… I don’t want to bury you guys again.” 

Diego bit his lip, “Um… again?” 

Five’s mutters were low and quiet and he couldn’t quite make them out. He nudged Five, curiosity getting the better of him, “Hey, Five? Burying us?” 

Five glared at him, brows furrowed, lips pursed. He looked for all the world like a grouchy cat roused from its nap, if there hadn’t been tear streaks staining his cheeks that is, “What?” 

Diego raised his eyebrows, speaking slowly, “Burying us, again?” 

Five blinked, brows furrowing, “Hmm. I did it once and it was a pain. Too many bricks. And- and Allison is fucking _tall_ , and you’re- you’re _heavy_ , Diego, when you’re dead. I couldn’t even move Luther,” Five sniffed, as if that was the most tragic thing about burying his fucking siblings, “I had to leave him in the street.” 

“... _Fuck,_ Five.” 

Diego stared off into the distance. He hadn’t really thought circumstances through till now. An impending apocalypse, Luther accusing him of killing Dad (as _if_ ), something going wrong with Mom, his brother being back and fifty-eight apparently but also a child? 

He’d been going so fast, that he hadn’t really thought what the apocalypse had meant. Or what it meant for the people left to pick up the pieces afterwards. 

Diego spoke slowly, voice hoarse as he looked down on his little-old brother who seemed too young to be as tired as he was, “Yeah that's… _shit_ , Five.”

Five wiggled, “Delores was there though, she listened when I talked to her. That’s- thats more than you guys do.” He glowered and Diego nodded in agreement, “...Yeah, that’s fair, I guess.” 

Five huffed, leaning back again, “Your head is green, like- like puke.” 

And they were back to this, “That’s really great, Five.” 

The sound of a door slamming startled Diego and he looked up, suddenly filled with terror as Allison passed by, storming down the hallway. She paused, catching sight of her brothers, for all intents and purposes, cuddling on the couch, “Um. Diego. Five.” 

Five peered over his shoulder. 

Diego held up a hand, “This isn't voluntary.” 

He could see her suppressing a smirk and then the worst happened- Five opened his mouth, “Allison, your hair is- is _glowier_ than I remembered.”

She blinked, “Um. Thanks?” Her brows furrowed as she stepped closer, taking in his sweat and pupils blown wide, “Is- is Five _high?_ ”

“It’s not my fault! Five ate Klaus’s brownies which he left on the bar and I found him and someone had to stay with him- _I didn’t feed him drug brownies!_ ” 

Allison raised her hands, “Yeah, it’s okay, Diego. I believe you.” 

She crossed her arms, watching Five settle back down, blinking sleepily, Delores watching this all go down with a benign smile. 

Allison put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing, “Where _is_ Klaus? I should probably talk to him about leaving his _drugs_ lying around the house.” 

Her words were firm, eyes hard, clearly on the warpath. 

Diego was glad he was not the subject of her wrath. He shrugged, “I don’t know. But tell him Five will gut him when he, uh, gets back.” 

Allison nodded, studying Five, who had practically plastered himself to his brother's side, “Oh, I’ll be sure to convey it.”

Diego sighed, watching her storm out, on her way to end their brother, “Well, aren’t we all glad we’re not Klaus right now.” 

Five snorted, shifting, “When does anyone want to be Klaus? Does _Klaus_ even want to be Klaus?”

Diego nodded, pulling him close, “That’s a good point little bro.”

“I always make good points.” 

Diego patted his arm, trying to ignore the swell of fondness in his chest, “You’re right, Five. You always do.”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is here: https://ford-ye-fiji.tumblr.com/


End file.
